Pages

Thursday, August 28, 2014

It is my last night with my family after a fun-fill, four-day, fabulous Fam-Jam. The parents are tuckered out and already in bed. Sister and I are chilling in her room and I have high-jacked her laptop for some quality sister blogging. Unsure of what to do I googgled a set of "get to know you" questions. Sister's answers are in green and mine are in purple. Here goes:

What's your middle name? Marie Dawn

Are you a morning or night person? Ohh...I am night, no, both. It depends, mostly night. Truth is I love being up at 4am and there are only two ways to do that -stay up super super late or wake up super super early.

What was your favorite childhood television program? The Backyardagains There are too many to pick. I loved classic Saturday morning cartoons: Jems, Fraggle Rock, She-Ra, My Little Ponies, and Smurfs just to name a few.

Are you a collector of anything? Glass Bottles Board games and Doctor Who items

Are you mostly a clean or messy person? both have you seen my office? messy

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Right here I love my home too but Japan or Asia still calls to me

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? Bora Bora Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago, Zambia, Japan, India, and Disneyworld

List 5 goals on your life's to-do list:

experience zero gravity -- walk the Camino de Santiago

post a letter on "Juliet's Wall" --ride in a hot air balloon with my mum

try every flavor of ice cream -- run a marathon

get into a taxi and yell "follow that car" -- publish a story

play hide and seek in IKEA -- collect a stamp from every continent (except Antarctica) in one passport

Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid: free candy play time

What's your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon? sleep nap

What would be your dream job? Singer I have it :)

If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to? Lily Never thought of it...Abigail?

Do you believe in the afterlife? Uh...yes Yes

What is your favorite ice cream? Cookie Dough Cookie Dough

What is the last movie you saw? Guardians of the Galaxy same -we saw it together earlier tonight

Summer or winter? winter summer

Do you have any hobbies? No, but I am in ballet I make cards, play board games, and blog

Do you like to use post-it notes? Yes Yes

What will you go as this Halloween? I hadn't started thinking of it yet but probably Peter Pan or Peter Pan's Shadow I don't really do Halloween but I am thinking my next cosplay will neither be Starbuck (New Battlestar), Sophie (Howl's Moving Castle), or Arrietty (The Secret World of Arrietty)

Do you dance in the car and/or sing in the shower? Yes to both Cars are made for dance parties -YES! and I sound amazing in the shower (where no one can hear me)!

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Kim introduced me to My One Word by just over a year and a half ago. It is an alternative to New Year resolutions. Resolutions are often made based on past failures, areas of regret, or shame based thinking that often starts "if only I was..." My One Word is different. From the My One Word website:

If you’re like most people, each January goes something like this: You choose a problematic behavior that has plagued you for years and vow to reverse it. In fact, you can probably think of two or three undesirable habits—make that four or five. Thus begins the litany of imperfections to be perfected commonly known as “New Year’s Resolutions.” All of which are typically off your radar by February.

“My One Word” is an experiment designed to move you beyond this cycle. The challenge is simple: lose the long list of changes you want to make this year and instead pick ONE WORD. This process provides clarity by taking all your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single focus. Just one word that centers on your character and creates a vision for your future. - See more at My One Word

Normally people choose a word for the year, January to December. Being a bit of a resolution rebel, I decided to select a word for my 33rd year (April 26, 2014 to April 25, 2015). In fact it is the first challenge on the 33 While 33.

I've had my word for almost four months. I enjoyed the process of picking the word. The actual challenge has been remembering the word. I thought about it daily in May. By mid June it was just a thought in the back of my mind and by July it was an after thought. This month I've been asking myself how am I doing with my word? How am I "abiding"? The questions have helped me regain my focus and challenged how I am at seeking and abiding with God.

What my word has been leading me to is a deeper interest in how I think about the Holy Spirit, being Spirit filled, and the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). I've started reading Forgotten God by Francis Chan. It's effecting how I am praying and even reacting to daily encounters with others. I'm going to start sharing my thoughts on the book over the next few days and weeks.

I've been 33 for four months today. I thought it would be a perfect chance to see how I have been doing on my 33 While 33 challenges:

Choose a "My One Word" to focus my 33rd year: Abide

Paint the canvas

Read the whole Bible

Finish 11 non-fiction books (they do not have to have been started during the year)

Go some place new

Serve/help/volunteer in a new way

Capture Happiness every day

Count my blessings

Plan a trip

Remember Birthdays

Mail letters

Visit my Grandma Stewart (the picture is an us-ie of the two of us)

Build a snowman with my sister

Take a hot air balloon ride with my mum

Go for a hike in the woods (bonus points for more than one hike, if it is a treasure hunt, or it becomes an adventure)

Create a photo book

Learn a new skill

Make a new friend

Reconnect with past friends

Dance

Try a new food

Draw

Grow something (bonus points if it is food that I can harvest)*

Be a vegetarian for 30 days

Sleep under the stars

Celebrate an obscure or odd "holiday"

Send flowers

Be flexible

Get lost in a corn maze

Send one of my works of fiction to a publisher

Do something I've been putting off

Host a murder mystery

Go on a date

Seven out of thirty-three isn't a bad start. I've also working on six at the moment and plans for six others. There are a few challenges that I am not sure how they will be accomplished. Its going to be an interesting year. The next check up will be on my half birthday (October 26th).

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

earring tonight! This might not seem like much, but for me it is a huge-small victory. Early July I lost a hoop earring from a set given to my by my Aunt when I was in high school. I lost it a week after I had lost a hoop earring from a pair I bought in Disney. I thought they were gone forever.

I know they are just things but the loss made me sad so I've been telling God how I felt and asking him to show me where they could be. It hasn't been an everyday, anxiety driven, fevered prayer. Just a "God, help me find them." Or "God help me to let go and about the things you care about." I even said a quick prayer earlier tonight.

A moment ago, while switching clothes from the washer to the dryer I heard a clanging. I thought it was just change I forgotten. On closer inspection I found the missing earring!

Since my Favourite Atheist reads this blog from time to time, I expect the validity of the "answered prayer" might come into question. And the discussion is probably warranted but in another blog post. It might be time to resurrect the "talking with an atheist" series.

The earring wasn't my only prayer tonight. After a full day that hit almost every emotion on the spectrum I asked God to renew me and give me encouragement. I found an earring and remembered God's grace and love for me in the big things and the small...even as small as an earring.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

FOR TODAY: August 17, 2014 -May the Fourth Be With You!
You can find the more daybooks at Simple Woman's Daybook.

Outside my window... moths trying to get closer to the light... its very dark.

I am thinking about... friendships, faith and conversion, how the church interacts with families, personal devotions and community teaching, communication, open theism and how little I know of the topic, atheism, my week's to do list, and the Dead Poet Society.

I am thankful for... my amazing friends!

In the kitchen... had three home cooked meals this past week (Go Me!) My plan for the week is to use a number of vegetables before they go bad. There is a good chance I'll actually succeed.

I am wearing...flippy flops, shorts, and a purple top over a white tank top.

I am creating... many cards.

I am going... to be productive tomorrow with card making, important calls, might even return my overdue library books.

I am wondering... about open theism.

I am reading... Forgotten God

I am hoping... to finally watch the Doctor Who Christmas special this week.

I am looking forward to... hugging my sister in just 7 sleeps and the start of the new series of Doctor Who.

I am learning... I have a number of topics I need to research more. The trouble is I often take a long time reading non-fiction and the list of books I feel I ought to read is already too daunting.

I am hearing...a playlist of Our Lady of Peace (specifically Life)

Around the house... is always needing my attention. Thinking about trying the Fly Lady system again.

One of my favorite things... free tickets

A few plans for the rest of the week:... crafts and productivity tomorrow afternoon followed by fun times at writing group, interesting week at the church office its my summer students last week, and then the annual church corn boil next Sunday. The highlight will be two of my girls (one in youth group the other formally in youth group) will be baptised.

A Picture To Share:... Donna and me waiting for the start of Miracle Man.